Package opener



Dec. 13, 1932. M H L 1,891,090

PACKAGE OPENER Filed Oct. 7, 1931 gwvenioz 1. 0a is M. Ha I! Patented Dec. 13, 1932 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE LOUIS M. HALL, OF FORT THOMAS, KENTUCKY, ASSIGNOR TO THE MONARGH TOOL 8v MANUFACTURING COMPANY, OF CINCINNATI, OHIO, A CORPORATION OF OHIO PACKAGE OPENER Application filed October 7, 1931. Serial No. 567,424.

The present invention relates to a package opener and has for its principal object the provision of a simple and eflicient mechanism wherein the consumer may insert a package of cigarettes, rotate the package through about 90 degrees and then remove the package and have a predetermined portion of the end of the package slit free of the side walls thereof so that the contents may be removed. 7

Another object is to provide a device of this kind in such form as to be disposed whereever desirable, as upon a cigar counter so that the opening operation may be performed with a maximum of simplicity and in a minimum 16 of time. I

These and other objects are attained by the means described herein and disclosed in theaccompanying drawing, in which: Fig. l is a top plan view of a preferred embodiment of the device of the invention.

Fig. 2 is a side elevational view of the device shown in Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged section taken on line 33 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged top plan view of the device with the supporting frame removed. 7 Fig. 5 is a perspective View showing a package of cigarettes which has been opened by a e device of the invention.

The most popular form of cigarette package consists in a wrapping composed of a light paper with a metal foil covering, the sides and bottom being further protected with a printed paper wrapper so as to leave the foil exposed at the top. This wrapping is further supplemented in many instances by a transparent waterproof completely enclosing package. The revenue stamp is atfixed acrossthe top of the package thus sealing the folded foil against accidental opening. Normally the revenue stamp covers a central portion of the foil on the top of the package and the consumer tears away the exposed foil on one side or the other of the revenue stamp so that he has access to several cigarettes at one edge of the pack. Through this aperture all of the cigarettes are extracted as used. It has been customary, especially with those packages employing an additional transparent moisture-proofing coverlng for the consumer to carelessly tear away the entire waterproofing covering and a portion of the. top and throw it onto the floor of the cigar store where the litter of torn paper accumulates constantly. Furthermore, the average consumer in completely tearing away a portion of the top loses the benefit of the protection of the package for the remaining cigarettes in the pack. WVith the present device the neat slit is effected at the very top edge of the pack for a distance along each side and an adjoining edgeso that the free tab thus cut loose may be folded back and the cigarettes extracted, after which the flap may serve as an effective cover for the contents. In this way the temptation to tear away and carelessly castaside bits of paper is removed. As explained the nuisance of accumulating litter has been augmented by the waterproofed transparent waxed paper and cellophane coverings on some brands of cigarettes.

The device whereby this neat slittingof a portion of the top edge of a cigarette package is accomplished comprises a plate 6 hav ing an elevated boss 7 which is .arcuately cut away as at 8 to the normal level of the plate 6. A disc 9 has an integral sleeve 10 journalled in a perforation 11 in plate 6 and is retained in position by washer 12 and screw 13 which threads into the hollow center of sleeve 10. The disc 9 has a rectangular depressed seat of a size such as to snugly receive the top of a package of cigarettes 14. The bottom wall 15 of this depression or seat portion carries the sleeve 10 and is out free of the disc 9 at one end. This slot 16 permits a cutter blade 17 mounted on the boss 7 to ride through slot 16 with a shearing action scr that the top of a package of cigarettes seated in the depression age and across a portion of the adjoining sides immediately at the top. The cutter 17 ma conveniently take the form of a safety razor blade secured by means of a peg 170 and a screw 171. A rectangular receiver 18 is connected with the disc 9 by bent fingers 19 which extend through suitable slots in the disc around several sides of the depression. The receiver is provided in order to more semay be slitted across one edge of the packcurely support the cigarette package 19 during the slitting operation.

In order to normally position the receiver 18 and its associated disc 9 relative to the cutter 17 a coil spring 20 is anchored at its outer end in a split lug 21 and at its inner end at 22 on the sleeve 10. A stop pin 23 projecting upwardly from table 6 receives the depressed portion 15 in abutment thereof and precludes complete unwinding of the spring and serves as a limit of rotation of the disc in both clockwise and counter-clockwise directions.

It is to be understood that so much of the device as is shown in Fig. 4 is completely operative for slitting open cigarette packages. However, in order to shield the edge of the movable disc and also the stationary cutter blade a housing or shell 24 is used. This is mounted over the palte through the agency of a single screw 240 and a depending threaded lug 241 on shell 24 and a pair of upstanding lugs 242 on the plate 6. This may be a hollow inverted shell of any suitable shape (for example circular as shown) having in its top face a circular aperture 25 of a size such that the rectangular receiver 18 may rotate therein but the periphery of the disc 9 will not pass through and will thus be shielded beneath the top of the shell 24. The shell 24 is preferably, but not necessarily a somewhat heavy cast metal member so that it will not be necessary to hold the shell or plate 6 with one hand while the receiver 18 and disc 9 are turned with the other hand against the resistance of the spring 20. Hollow vacuum cup rubber feet 26 may be provided to further stabilize the position of the package slitter upon a smooth surface such as the glass top of a cigar case, or a table top or the like. The exposed exterior of the receiver 18 may be suitably finished, decorated or decoratively covered and the shell 24 may likewise be ornamentally finished, either being designed with or without advertising matter.

Attention is directed to Fig. 5 wherein the package of cigarettes is represented at 14, the slit tab of transparent waterproofing material is represented at 27 and the slit foil and paper tab is represented at 28. The revenue stamp 29 may be slightly mutilated by the cut of the blade 17 which severed the tabs 27 and 28 from the package just above the ends of the cigarettes in that end of the pack.

The operation of the device is as follows. With the device in the position shown in full lines in Fig. 1 the cigarette package is inserted top downward into the receiver 18 whereupon the receiver 18 and the package are grasped and rotated in a counter-clockwise direction through about a degree turn to the position shown in dotted lines in Fig. 1. It will be understood that the reversal of the parts and direction of spring tension may be resorted to so that a clockwise rotation will pack 14 and then progressively slit the adjoining edge of the pack and finally the adjoining portion of the opposite edge. Upon removal of the package and release of the receiver 18 the spring 20 returns the receiver to the initial position. All of the wrapping material of the package remains aifixed to the original package so that there is no scrap or litter to be thrown about. The portions 01 the package which are normally torn off and cast aside by the consumer are beneficially retained on the package to better protect the unused content of the package.

As will be noted the operation requires but an instant of time and is accomplished so neatly and expeditiously that the urchaser finds it more convenient to use the evice for opening his package of cigarettes than to tear away portions of the top moisture-proofing transparent wrapper and the foil and paper wrapping of the package. While the device is especially desi ned for the opening of cigarette packages it is obviously capable by modification in shape and size only, to effect a similar slitting of packaged materials such as soap powders, flakes, cereals, etc.

What is claimed is:

1. In a package opener the combination of a plate member having a fixed cutter blade projecting substantially parallel thereto, and a package receiver rotatably mounted on said plate, said receiver having a slit adjacent the bottom through which the cutter may pass upon rotation of the receiver relative to the cutter.

2. In a device of the class described the combination of a plate member, a rectangular receiver rotatably mounted thereon and adapted to receive a package to be opened, said receiver being slotted at one end substantially parallel with the plate and a cutter fixed on the plate and spaced therefrom in a plane with the slot in the receiver, the cutter lying normally outside the lines of the receiver and adapted to move through the slot in the receiver upon rotation of the receiver whereby to sever the wall of a package in said receiver.

3. In combination a plate, a fixed cutter spaced above the plate, a disc rotatably mounted on the plate and having a depressed portion severed in part from the disc to admit the cutter when the disc is rotated and a shell apertured in its top to provide access to the depressed portion of the disc, and means to secure the plate and shell together.

4. In a device of the class described the combination of an inverted hollow shell having a circular opening at its top, a plate fixedly mounted within the hollow shell and beneath the opening therein, a package receiver rotatably mounted on the plate and projecting through the opening in the shell, the receiver being slotted horizontally adjacent its bottom through a portion thereof and a knife fixedly mounted in a plane with said slot whereby to slit the walls of a package in the receiver upon turning of the receiver.

5. In a device of the class described the combination of a mounting structure including a hollow shell, said shell having an opening in the top thereof, a disc rotatably mounted beneath said opening and concentrically thereof, said disc having a package receiving depression and being slotted about a portion of said depression, a cutter fixedly mounted relative to the shell and in a plane with the slot in said receiver for passage therethrough and means yieldably urging the disc and receiver out of the path of the cutter.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto subscribed my name this 1st day of October,

LOUIS M. HALL. 

